Video games offer tons of unique experiences for players looking to escape from their daily life of responsibilities. Action, adventure, intrigue, and romance are all viable options for players looking for something to spice up their video game queues. Of course, escaping can also lead to a transformation of the player, and who does not want to become a cute animal while fending off monsters or running a cult?
Indie game studios offer great games where the player can not only quest away to their heart’s desire and experience fantastical and intricate worlds but also become an adorable animal while playing it.
8 Stray
Stray, the 2022 game from BlueTwelve Studio, allows the players to meow endlessly while the cute stray cat protagonist navigates a world full of robots, machinery, and mutant bacteria looking to overtake the player in Stray.
Along with the cat’s companion, a floating drone named B-12, the player must complete quests and travel through several mysterious post-apocalyptic walled cities to solve puzzles, meet other zany robots, and mess with objects within the environment to ultimately go back to the surface and rejoin the other stray cats of the colony.
7 Doggone Hungry
If food is a main motivator, Doggone Hungry, a student project, follows a dog as he eats his way through the game and only gets chunkier as the game progresses. The dog’s favorite toy, Quarterjack, is constantly getting stolen, and the player must go through challenges (and more food) to retrieve the toy.
This is a free-to-play cozy game that features a really cute dog that charms humans for snacks, dressing up in different accessories, doing little tricks, and causing mischief. All in the name of food!
6 Cult of the Lamb
Running a cult might not seem like an ideal simulator game, but being a cute little sheep makes it all the better. Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster follows the player as they cultivate their following and defeat monsters in this roguelike video game with an occult backdrop.
The player can create and customize their adorable and loyal followers while tending to their needs between rogue-ish crusades to gain resources and abilities. The player can become the ultimate cult leader while also being the most adorable lamb around.
5 Tukoni
Based upon the book series by Ukranian artist Oksana Bula, Tukoni is a point-and-click game featuring puzzles and “tukoni” which are the inhabitants of the forest. This game features several different characters from a koala-looking fellow to astrological whales.
The goal of this cozy game is to meet the different inhabitants of the forest, help each other with puzzles, and craft items, and experience the unique kindness found within the forest. Not only are the animals adorable, but the player can also experience Bula’s incredible and unique art style that was hand-drawn by the artist throughout the game.
4 Ori And The Blind Forest
While not explicit about what kind of animal or creature the player finds themself as, Ori and the Blind Forest, by developers Moon Studios, follows a young orphan as they attempt to save their home forest, Nibel, from dying. This platformer has the players finding and solving puzzles, upgrading abilities, and finding the other animal-like inhabitants of the forest to help them along their journey.
This game also features a captivating narrative, immersive environmental art, and musical score that lends itself to the stunning gameplay of Ori and the Blind Forest and its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
3 Tunic
Tunic, by the TUNIC Team, follows the player as they go through this action-adventure game as an eager fox on their way to free a fox spirit that is trapped inside of a crystal. The player explores this post-apocalyptic fantasy world in Tunic to find hidden pages that contain clues, fight off enemies, and discover secret passages.
This game, alongside the adorable fox, also includes a unique 3-D isometric view feature, allowing the player to investigate the world through different perspectives to explore the terrain.
2 Haven Park
Play as a cute little bird in Haven Park by Bubblebird Studio, a cozy and peaceful game about exploring a natural park. The player, Flint who is next in line to run the park, can meet the other campers, engage in quests to please the park guests, and explore at one’s leisure.
This game is self-paced and rather short, therefore is meant to be enjoyed by taking one’s time to explore and have conversations with all the campers to hear about the secret lore of the forest. The relaxing gameplay and cute main character will be sure to bring a smile to the player’s face.
1 Lil Gator Game
Lil Gator Game by MegaWobble has players exploring as a young alligator who is constantly trying to get his elder sister’s attention. The goal of this game is for the players to explore, glide, and swim through the world to meet new characters and complete new quests within each area.
This game also has no health bar in this open world and movement-focused game so that the player can game with relaxation and ease. Between the adorable gator and the connection to the inner child, this game will have the player enjoying every alligator-filled second.